The Mousetrap
By Agatha Christie

A thriller in two acts

September 7, 8, & 9, 2023
7:30pm at The Boal Barn Playhouse
Boalsburg, PA

After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired Army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate. This record-breaking murder mystery features a brilliant surprise finish from Dame Agatha Christie, the foremost mystery writer of her time.

Cast

Mollie Ralston.....................LILLI FALCON
Giles Ralston......................JOSHUA GUNTER*^
Christopher Wren...............ZACHARY MYERS
Mrs. Boyle...........................KRISTINE ALLEN
Major Metcalf.....................TOM MCCLARY*
Miss Casewell....................HAYLEI LIBRAN
Mr. Paravicini......................HEIDI COLE
Det. Sgt. Trotter..................ELI BEERS-ALTMAN*

*Sock & Buskin debut ^Acting debut

Production Team

Producer....................................................STEFANIE AUSTIN Director......................................................PHILLIP ZAPKIN*
Stage Manager..........................................MELISSA BRANNEN
Costumer...................................................JOSEPHINE BRANSTETTER
Props Master.............................................AVA BIERLY
Light/Sound Designer/Technicians..........NATHANIEL GLUNT, JESSIE COZINE*
Set Design..................................................STEFANIE AUSTIN
Set Construction.........................................PETER AUSTIN,
DANIEL SKILES, YOUKI SATO*
Set Painting...............................................PETER AUSTIN, KRISTINE ALLEN
Accent Coach.............................................KRISTINE ALLEN
Stage Crew.................................................YOUKI SATO*, AVA BIERLY
House Managers........................................AMY FARKAS, AMY SHRECKENGAST
Photography...............................................VERN HORST*
Graphic Design...........................................CAITLIN MELESKI

*First production role with Sock & Buskin

Meet The Cast

Headshots credit:
Corbin Pearce of Corbin Pearce Photograpy

Lilli Falcon

Mollie Ralston

Lilli is a Ph.D. student in Educational Psychology at Penn State and is originally from Miami, FL. She is so excited to be acting alongside her fiancé Josh and her bestie Zach as well as the rest of this talented cast and crew. Her previous roles include Ava in Sin-ergy and Taylor in Cutthroat Christmas, as well as various crew roles in other S&B productions. She is so grateful to the community at Sock and Buskin and to her friends and family for their love and support, especially her mom, stepdad and sister, for making the trek up from FL to see her perform. Enjoy the show!

Joshua Gunter

Giles Ralston

Josh recently moved to Pennsylvania after spending a majority of his life trapped in Ohio. He’s a Social Studies teacher at the Grier School, but in his spare time you can usually find him engaged in one of his many hobbies. These include, but are certainly not limited to, fire breathing, magic, gaming, playing music, going on hikes, foraging, rock climbing, and so much more. While this is his first performance, he is grateful to be acting alongside his beautiful fiancee, Lilli, and his good friend Zach! Josh is also very thankful to all of those around him, including his friends and family, for being constant pillars of support throughout this performance and all the other shenanigans he gets into!

Zachary Myers

Christopher Wren

Zach is a Ph.D. student in Educational Psychology at Penn State and is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He is extremely excited to be on stage with his friends, Josh and Lilli. His previous roles include Ryan in Sin-ergy and Howard in Moon Over Buffalo as well as various crew roles in other Sock & Buskin productions. Zach is very grateful to his friends and family for their support and Sock & Buskin for creating such a welcoming community.

Kristine Allen

Mrs. Boyle

After portraying the sweet wife in S&B’s Cutthroat Christmas, Kris is very pleased to be cast as a thoroughly odious snob. She has been addicted to theatre since doing her first high school production at age 5. Kris was recently seen as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Altoona, and here at the Barn as Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men and John Dickinson in an all-woman production of 1776. Her voice is frequently heard on WPSU-FM, where she is Program Director. Kris thanks everyone working on this show for their talent, dedication and camaraderie, and thanks her wonderful family for driving all the way from Maryland and Virginia to come and see her be a curmudgeon!

Tom McClary

Major Metcalf

Tom is making his Sock and Buskin debut with The Mousetrap. A resident of Centre County since 2005, he has performed in comedies, dramas, and musicals with State College Community Theatre (SCCT), The Next Stage, FUSE Productions, Singing Onstage, and Nittany Valley Symphony. He has also directed seven productions for SCCT. He holds an MFA in Drama from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the national professional organization for composers, lyricists, and playwrights. When not involved in theatre, he enjoys watching old movies, listening to classical music, reading Charles Dickens, writing letters and poetry, supporting public radio and television, cooking for other people, taking long walks, and staying out of trouble. He is not ashamed to admit that he has read all of the Agatha Christie novels and stories, his favorite being Murder on the Orient Express.

Haylei Libran

Miss Casewell

This is Haylei's first production with Sock and Buskin and they are very excited to return to the theatrical stage. The Mousetrap is Haylei's first show following a pandemic-influenced acting hiatus. Haylei's love for theatre grew while attending the Virginian womens college, Sweet Briar. There they received a Bachelors in Fine Arts Degree with a focus in dance and theatre. Some of Haylei's favorite roles they've portrayed have been Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Wellington C. Waterloo of How to Host a Murder: Grapes of Frath.

Heidi Cole

Mr. Paravicini

Heidi spends her days working as an editor at a local media company. The Mousetrap is Heidi’s third production with Sock & Buskin, with her role in 86’ed being a “killer” performance. This production features a more bubbly side of Heidi as she crosses gender lines to bring Mr. Paravicini to life. She credits Dungeons & Dragons with providing years of practice in bringing characters to life. Besides a relatively newfound enjoyment of theatre, Heidi can also be seen on stage performing karaoke and occasionally improv and standup comedy or at various gaming stores playing more characters or losing horribly at board games.

Eli Beers-Altman

Detective Sergeant Trotter

Eli is excited to be making his Sock and Buskin debut in such a fun murder mystery, The Mousetrap! He is also excited to return to the Boal Barn, a place he performed with SCCT in various shows in the past, including; Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, West Side Story, Wonderful Town and Hello Dolly, with West Side and Dolly being directed by Eli’s co-star tonight, Tom McClary. Besides reuniting with Tom, Eli has enjoyed getting to know the cast and crew of The Mousetrap. A native of State College, Eli received a film degree from Point Park and currently spends his time in Los Angeles, CA, where he studies the Meisner technique at the prestigious Playhouse West Acting School. Eli also studied film acting with the legendary actor/teacher, Clu Gulager. In addition to performing, Eli also loves watching and collecting films, amassing Funkos, playing Ticket to Ride, and spending time with his family, friends and pets.

Meet The Production Team

Phillip Zapkin

Director

Phillip is an Assistant Teaching Professor of English at Penn State, with a Ph.D. from West Virginia University. His scholarly interests are primarily in drama and adaptation, about which he’s published widely. Phillip has dramaturged for a few productions in the State College area, but this is his first major return to theatre work since performing as an undergraduate. This is also Phillip’s first production with Sock & Buskin.

Nathaniel Glunt

Light/Sound Designer

Nate has been involved in live sound ever since he was a teenager. From live stages, small bars, and outdoor amphitheaters, he has helped set up audio equipment and mixed a variety of venues. He has served as sound/lighting designer on all of S&B’s shows this year. Nathan was born and raised in Altoona, PA. He moved closer to the State College Area for work with AccuWeather designing and maintaining studios as an Engineer. Aside from live sound production, Nathan is an avid musician always looking for gigs in the surrounding areas.

Ava Bierly

Props Master

Ava is a second-year art education and film student at Penn State and thought that designing props would be a great way to combine her love for theater, goodwill runs, and arts and crafts. This is her second time involved in production crew/making props (the first being Moon Over Buffalo with Sock & Buskin) and she has truly loved watching the shows come to life piece by piece. She wants to say the biggest thank you to her Mom and Dad as well as Kyle and Parker for their infinite encouragement and support, and another big thank you to the cast and crew for being so kind and supportive!

Amy Farkas

House Manager

Amy is excited to be back helping Sock and Buskin as the house manager for this show. Amy is a veteran of local theatre, appearing with State College Community Theatre, Tyrone Community Players and the Community Theatre League in Williamsport. Amy spends her days working as a municipal manager and fawning over her dog, Shep. She thanks her fiance, Don, for his love and support.

Stefanie Austin

Producer, Set Designer

Stefanie is the current President and a Founding Director of Sock & Buskin Theatre Company. Since 2014, Stefanie has held roles both on and off stage in a number of productions by SCCT, Nittany Theatre, and S&B. Stefanie is a huge Agatha Christie fan and is thrilled to manage this production! She thanks her husband, Peter, and her two kids for their unwavering love and support.

Jessie Cozine

Light/Sound Technician

Jessie is currently a student at State High and is very excited to be a part of their first Sock & Buskin production as a member of the lighting and sound team! They are an avid reader of Agatha Christie’s novels and are very excited to be involved with one of her onstage works. Jessie’s previous tech credits come mostly from Summer children’s productions with Singing on Stage. In their free time they enjoy playing rugby and watching movies.

Youki Sato

Set Construction, Stage Crew

Youki is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in Astrobiology and Geoscience at Penn State and was born and raised in the Delco, Philly area. This is his first production with Sock & Buskin but not his first experience with theater: Youki worked as a stage manager/set carpenter/production crew during his time at Dickinson College (’16) and probably spent more time in the theater than in the chemistry buildings! He is very excited to return to theater after a 7-year hiatus and looks forward to continuing being an active part of the theater community in the State College area.

Peter Austin

Set Construction, Painting

Pete was drug into the world of theatre in 2021 by his well-meaning thespian wife, Stefanie, assisting with the technical side of set design. Most notably, he has created the set construction plans for SCCT’s Clue: On Stage (2022) and S&B’s Moon Over Buffalo (2023). Pete holds Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and works at Penn State as an R&D Engineer. When he’s not working or designing sets, Pete enjoys video games, board games, watercolor painting, and spending time with his kids and dogs.

Melissa Brannen

Stage Manager

Melissa had so much fun working backstage for the hilarious production of Moon Over Buffalo, that she decided to do it for The Mousetrap too. Although this show is a bit more serious, she is loving this cast and crew just as much! You can see Melissa on stage again in the upcoming mystery dinner theatre production The Witching Hour in October. Melissa loves community theatre and has appeared in over 25 shows with State College Community Theatre, Nittany Theatre, Tyrone Community Players, Stone Arch Players, and No Refund Theatre. Her day job is at Penn State where she “makes research happen” as a negotiator for the Office of Sponsored Programs. Thanks, as always, to her family for supporting her passion for performing!

Josephine Branstetter

Costumer

Jo is joining Sock & Buskin again with a passion for costume design and a plan to make it a career. She hopes you enjoy the show, and keep an eye out for her future costumes with Sock & Buskin. To keep up with Jo’s sewing and theater endeavors, you can find her Instagram @dadshakespeare.

Daniel Skiles

Set Construction

Daniel Skiles should not be used a form of motive transport, as he lacks the government regulated (US DOT § 393.22) safety lights and reflectors

Daniel Skiles contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or visually inspected.

If Daniel Skiles begins to smoke, vacate the premise immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.

When not in use, Daniel Skiles should be returned to his special container and kept under refrigeration. Failure to do so relieves Sock and Buskin Theatre Company of any and all liability.

Daniel Skiles comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Caitlin Meleski

Graphic Designer

Caitlin has been our resident graphic designer since S&B first opened its doors. She is a 2015 Advertising Art & Design graduate of SUN Area Technical Institute and a 2019 Bachelors of Arts graduate of Susquehanna University. Before designing promo artwork for Sock & Buskin, Caitlin has designed posters for many small theater companies across the United States. Caitlin hopes to continue to combine her skills in design and her love for theater and hopefully get to work for productions on Broadway. You can follow her work on Instagram and Facebook @caitlinmeleskiartwork.